Black Magic
by Lunatic Howling in the Night
Summary: Harry expected death to be uneventful and Dark Lord free. True to form, none of his expectations were met, including the one involving him being dead. No pairings.
1. Prologue

A/N: I haven't written fiction in six years and I'm very rusty. Please don't eat me.

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><p>The first time it had been a blinding white. The brightness of Kings Cross station with Dumbledore to greet him made for a slightly less depressing first death if truth be told. Harry snidely wondered if it was compensation for the gloom and abject misery of real death. In front of him stretched a wall of impenetrable darkness. His fingers clutched at empty space and he doubted if it was even air that filled his lungs. It felt like air, but in his experience he had long since learnt that what something felt like in a world of magic was entirely irrelevant. His feelings of intense optimism, for instance, were more often near factual predictions of some inevitable doom. He had long since stopped pushing his luck when it came to certain assumptions. However he travelled through the vast dimension was also a mystery and not one Harry was in a position to investigate anytime soon. He simply drifted without control through a sea of almost complete nothingness.<p>

Time lost meaning and basic spell casting lost to him no matter how insistently he swished, flicked, cursed and complained at his uncooperative wands which remained stubbornly inactive. As he wafted along the invisible currents he listened to the chirping of nameless being and an occasional whisper of some entity far beyond his reach. Darkness clearly could not be equated with emptiness. Harry opted to keep his mouth firmly shut. Whatever managed to exist in a world capable of snuffing out magic was not something he wanted to deal with while floating helplessly through an abyss. Provoking whatever lived in this world was somewhere at the bottom of his to-do list along with attending peace talks at ICW headquarters and meeting with the British Minister for Magic. _Fat chance of any of those happening now_, Harry thought idly. Time itself seemed to have halted and Harry's consciousness continued to waver as his attention finally broke away from the outside world.

Naturally, it was not to last. Harry gave a strangled cry as a serpentine piece of metal entwined itself around his legs. He groped blindly for the clinking chain only to feel it constrict before his hands had found purchase. Harry grunted as chains encircled his chest and with a dizzying lurch he came to an abrupt halt on the cold hard ground. With an almighty CLANG that echoed in his ears, Harry's journey had ended. He was sprawled in a bedraggled pile on the floor, as if spat out by a particularly vindictive Floo. Harry could've sworn that some bastard off in the distance was laughing at him. He blindly extended the bird in the most suspect direction of the sound just to be sure.

For the first time in the Void he saw light. Twin gleaming pinpricks in the distance beckoned him on as the chains binding him slackened even as he stumbled to his feet. A chilling rasp lifted the hairs on the back of Harry's neck left him reaching for his phoenix feather wand.

_Lumos_, he thought, but like some many times before no light appeared. Even with an insistent smack of his wand not even so much as sparks emerged. Wand unlit Harry fumbled for the chain guilty of snaring him. Unnaturally fine links greeted his dragon hide gloves and clicked gently against the scaly black surface.

With an experimental tug he found himself drawn to the distant lights that glowed ever brighter and shifted as he staggered across the harsh landscape. Step by step the world around him became clearer. Harsh crags and towering pillars ascended into the emptiness above with the unequal ground below unbalancing his stride. The material below was marred as though a giant had slammed a calloused heel clean through the rock and left shattered shelves behind. Blackened and with a wicked glint to the edges Harry rather thought the ridges looked like glass. It was as if he had fallen into the crater of a long dormant volcano. Trekking carefully through the cavern, his hided boots toed endless drops and he kept a hold of the chain which now glimmered in the brightening glow.

Harry's breath emerged in puffs of mist and his teeth chattered noisily as the temperature plummeted with the final approach. With each tug on the chain the presence at the other end insistently tugged back, strength growing as the distance decreased.

"Finally!" Harry muttered stepping onto the most level land he had come across yet. The two orbs cast a glare with their brilliance, spilling light across roughly hewn pavers.

They were fiery eyes set into the skull of a giant dark-haired who stared intently at Harry even as he slouched on his decaying throne. _Taller than_ Hagrid, Harry noted as he stepped forwards. His sharp features and even sharper eyes were framed by a curtain of lank hair that left Harry vaguely reminded of Snape. The expression of familiar contempt left Harry feeling nostalgic for the old days where Voldemort and sadistic Potions professors were his main lot in life. It had long been the case where both Snape and Voldemort's actions paled in comparison to the people who supposedly acted to the benefit of the society they governed, much to Harry's dismay. Their allowance of Death Eaters to frolic freely through society after committing genocide was but one such example. The experiments conducted by Unspeakables within the depths of the Department of Mysteries was another when those mysteries were no longer quite so mysterious.

Spiked gauntlets sporting sheer clawed edges sat clasped before the figure cloaked in shifting shadows. Pulling the chain Harry watched the entity arch backwards, hissing in discomfort, revealing the iron collar binding his neck and nearly dragging Harry to his knees. Harry contemplated dropping the chain and fleeing as fast as humanly possible in the opposite direction. Preferably while he was at liberty to scream bloody murder to his satisfaction without inciting the wrath of the other creatures lurking in the bleak space. A rumbling groan filled the air and Harry snapped to attention. Neck aching, Harry watched cracks speed along the shelf's edge and widen drastically as the crags groaned under the sudden stress of the narrow connecting bridges giving way. Breaking away it plummeted into the mass below with a crunch and explosion of dust that soared upwards to meet Harry's eyes. Harry promptly returned his gaze to the now entirely smug chained figure. Then it spoke.

_Oh bollocks_.

A harsh grating emerged from the immense man's mouth. Harry's ears protested as a rolling shockwave boomed forth loosening the dirt at Harry's feet and the man's face set itself into a cold sneer. Finally the words faded and Harry felt as though Draco Malfoy's first introduction in Madam Malkin's all those years ago had honestly left a better first impression. Malfoy's posture and tone of voice didn't reek of the same degree of casual disregard and utter contempt even if he did come off as a spoilt daddy's boy prat. The sense of indifference from this being was almost a tangible force pressing against him.

"If you're going to insult me you may as well do it in a language I bloody understand," Harry said loudly.

Their eyes met and icy daggers instantly plunged into Harry's mind and hacked mercilessly at his Occlumency barriers. Harry groaned under the flurries of alternating bone melting heat and soul freezing ice slicing at his mind.

_Alright you bastard, let's go!_ Harry thought ferociously, sharpening a blade imbued with every insult, implied or otherwise he could conceive of in his native tongue and thrust it into the attacking mind. Narrowly grazing his opponent, Harry watched his weapon tumble from his mental hands only to be greedily devoured by his foe. Willing the distraction to work, Harry almost held his breath. For a fleeting moment Harry and his antagonist eyed each other, one in annoyance as he attempted to look away and the other in growing fascination.

Too slow to move, the assault began anew. Staggering under a renewed effort, Harry's knees buckled as a frozen spike lanced through his defences and in slurry of mystical letters, ancient and black tongues, ideas of grammar, structure and diction all filled his mind. Tacked almost spitefully to the end and secreted within a ball of fire was a list mirroring Harry's own. Harry felt a perverse sense of satisfaction even as his scar burned and a migraine began to throb in his left eye socket. For another lasting moment their gaze held and then it was over.

"Nice to meet you too, you bastard" Harry gasped.

"Likewise," replied smooth tones in an approximation of Harry's own accent. Harry shuddered at the echo. His gaze wandered to the figure's amused smirk and he thought back to the introductory speech while he raised an eyebrow.

"It's good to know that even with apparent eldritch abominations body language and tone of voice still makes up most of the meaning." Harry dusted off his knees as he stood. "D'you normally attack people on first sight or am I just special?" He absent mindedly scratched his itching scar.

"What insolence. Normally those who are privileged with an audience kneel in my presence and accord me with the proper respect," the giant hissed. "Lest their flesh be flayed from their bones and their mind exposed to horror beyond their meagre conceptions." Harry snorted derisively as an image of Voldemort came to mind.

"Yeah yeah, if you say so. I just have to wonder about the sort of respect you had for you to end up wearing chains in the middle of nowhere." Harry panted and stepped closer, careful to remain beyond the figure's enormous reach. His black robes whispered along the ground even as a particularly unfortunate piece of stone snapped under heel. "You're just as dead as I am after all. You aren't in any position to dictate while you're chained to that throne." He observed the coils of the chain binding the giant's form as though it were a great twisting serpent. They strained under the force of the titan's ongoing struggle.

"Dead?" The figure snarled darkly. "We are not in the Halls of Mandos, boy. We have not been granted that reprieve as instead we drift here in the Void of eternal nothingness until our return is willed by higher beings!" The being spat and Harry almost leaned back at the force of the words as the creature's eyes wandered past Harry. "This is not death, but exile!" His gaze refocused upon a nonplussed Harry. "It does raise an interesting question though – what was your failing in purpose for you to receive a fate so similar to mine? You are the first guest I have had in many an age."

"So I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with practically no way to get back to where I was? I'm not sure if that's brilliant or not to be honest," Harry mused. _On the bright side, no more Ministry of Magic, on the downside, there's nothing here but there was nothing left back there anyway._

"You did not answer my question!" He rumbled resulting in Harry braving a buffet of scorching winds and drawing his holly wand threateningly. Much to Harry's pleasure a shower of angry red sparks blasted from its tip.

"If you do that again we're going to find out if my Transfiguration skills extend to turning giants into teapots." Harry snarled, holding his wand aloft. "As for the answer to your question-" Harry shrugged indifferently "-I tripped. Nothing too hard to do. As for purposes, can't say I believe in those enough to think I screwed up mine. Never been a huge fan of destiny." Harry felt the wind shift from a searing heat to a more manageable desert temperature and resisted a Cooling Charm. The entity was laughing with the hall itself trembling. Harry could only liken the sensation to being stabbed with burning knives as the laugh resounded with a lack of mirth exceeding the late Tom Riddle. For a moment Harry saw the gleam of blackened armour beneath the shadowy cloak before the heaving settled.

"Ah, a like-minded soul then." The shadowy mass learned forward intently in his restraints. "If we are to be acquainted then I will require your name." _Praise Merlin, he wants to be friends_, thought Harry sarcastically.

"Harry Potter, not particularly unique but there you go." Harry suspected good old Voldemort was turning in his grave seeing as Harry's name managed to induce pants soiling terror in Dark wizards through deeds alone without need for any moniker. As it turned out associative context worked wonders when the context involved bits of people being blasted across the countryside. When that part of the countryside by cheerful coincidence was Diagon Alley and the said Dark wizard was a high up member of the Ministry it made for a very memorable context. It also made for a very large bounty. In Harry's expert opinion it was entirely worth it._  
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A tingle travelled up Harry's spine as the air lost its oppressive edge and the being settled in his makeshift throne. The giant's lofty head was inclined and eyes burnt with an unholy light as he spoke:

"I am Melkor."


	2. The Plan

A/N: And now the plot starts rolling. I deeply apologise for the mangling of characterisation to follow.

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><p><strong> Chapter 2 – The Plan<strong>

Casually flicking his wand, Harry conjured a handsome winged armchair into existence before Melkor's makeshift throne. Any Gryffindor would have recognised the cosy design to have been lifted from their common room. Melkor's eyes hungrily followed the wand's movement and its resulting creation.

"You are not of Eru." Melkor was once again leaning forward in his restraints. "This is unlike any sorcery bestowed to His creations."

"Seeing as I don't know what an 'Eru' is I should bloody well hope not." Harry had sprawled across his chair, legs lazily swinging from the armrest. "This sort of place isn't particularly probable in my universe, especially given that you're here and still alive in the middle of space."

"Eru Ilúvatar is the creator of Arda, the world below where we reside and the Void in which we currently speak." Harry winced at the casual hiss that slid over every syllable and drew out every word in his mother tongue as Melkor seemed to literally weigh the English that spilt from his lips. "He granted existence to all of those in Creation from the Ainur to to Men, Elves and the world itself. Eru created the Ainur who in turn sang to create the design of Arda and it was at Eru's behest the plan was made substance. We Valar, the highest of the Ainur, were to craft the world, but our ideas were limited as Eru failed to bestow upon us the wisdom for true creative works. Instead he hoarded the knowledge and we puppets slaved away for a monument that did little more than further uplift his own exaltations while we ourselves were devoid of the capability for original conception or implementation." A clawed hand gestured irritably to its owner's right and Harry found himself sliding from his chair to take a closer look.

Suspended in space was a shining blue orb. Patches of forest green and charred black were hinted at below rolling balls of white fluff Harry assumed to be clouds. Continents remained perfectly poised in their place as the sky drifted around him and Harry felt an old and unwelcome feeling rise from within. "Why isn't it rotating and where's the sun? There's light coming from somewhere, but I don't see anything that could make enough to light up something that big, or how the weather would even work without the heat from it." Harry squinted but saw nothing. _Creepy_.

"How curious, you are saying the world of Arda is not like your own?" Bright eyes seared into Harry's back.

"Nothing like it, Earth isn't sustained purely by magic for starters. Planet would've fallen to pieces ages ago. Then again-"Harry turned to meet the man's gaze "-you already know how Earth works. You might not have gotten much on me personally, but I know that was on the outer part of the wall along with all the other stuff I don't care about." _Like English, apparently_. Their eyes met and Harry was once more soaring through space and came to halt before a ball of superheated flames that caressed his face with fiery flares. It blazed brilliantly as living spheres millions of kilometres away drifted gently its orbit. Distance prevented the outermost planets from boiling in its presence while those within its loving touch withered and blackened under the blaze. The bluest and most hospitable of them surged with fantastic beasts beyond contemplation as the star gave life to the world and one of them was before him now! A whole universe free of meddling hands existed beyond the Void and beyond the reach of Eru. A surge of giddiness swept through Harry and he doubled over from laughter that was not his own. Their gaze broke, the moment gone and Harry gasped for air.

"It is majestic," Melkor whispered reverently. "To think its existence is for all intents and purposes an accident, so unlike Arda. There is such exquisite variety in a world without a plan and without strings having its denizens dance to their inevitable dooms. A world where they are free to create to their heart's content." Hands were extended towards Harry in an almost longing manner and Harry hastily edged away.

"Shame the people aren't so majestic. The planet's pretty neat but the people ruin it for the most part." Harry righted himself. "As for it being accidental, that's up for debate with most people but I don't particularly care one way or the other. Arda just looks dangerous though, anything made purely with magic runs the risk of falling apart. Once the source of the magic is gone the resulting creation goes with it. If you want something to last you need to kick it out the nest nice and early otherwise it can't sustain itself after you're gone. Unless you stick bits of your soul into stuff and that's never a good idea." Harry staggered back to his chair and his temples throbbed with pain. "Also, stay the hell out of my head, you bastard." Melkor's lips continued to twitch upwards, sharp teeth gleaming below pale lips.

"The people of Arda are no different. They are but pawns in Eru's living temple to his own station. Of all the beings created only Men were bestowed with free will, but even then their idolisation of the Elves and Maiar allow them to be influenced all too easily to continue to follow Eru's grand designs," Melkor continued bitterly. "They question nothing and have no desire to step beyond their roles. Their freedom is not real. Pathetic," he hissed.

"I'm guessing your role wasn't about being the bringer of sunshine and happy times?"

"At first, as the most powerful of the Ainur, it was assumed that I was to take the role, but it was not what was truly intended of me, no," Melkor snarled. "I was denied that which I craved most as predicted and imprisoned here for the resulting transgressions against the pawns which Eru had always intended to be part of his plan. Even now my actions still tie into the larger components of his end plan." Chains tightened as his great head shifted to glare in the direction of the world below.

"Tough break, here I was thinking Dumbledore had a problem when it came to screwing people over for a good plan. He planned for me to die horribly, you know, but luckily the bloke meant to top me made some bad life decisions in the lead up and wasn't great at making me stay dead. Buggering up lives must come naturally to old egomaniacs with ideas about moral superiority and sacrificing people for the greater good," Harry concluded casually as he reclined. "Dumbledore's plan didn't work out all that well in the long run though." _Mainly because he underestimated the amount of irrational berks in magical society_. "Not nearly as bad as what happened to you though." Gleaming eyes traced Harry's casual pose.

"I see."

The silence extended as Harry conjured a bloke of ice to soothe his aching temples and the giant his opposite had closed his eyes in seeming contemplation. Carefully wrapping it, Harry applied the block to his temple. Harry felt butterflies flutter in his stomach as the rolling implications of Arda's existence seeped into his overwhelmed brain. _I need_, he thought in a tone of absolute certainty, _to get the hell out of here as soon as humanly possible_. The creator of the world below had supposedly engineered a scenario that relied on throwing one of his own children under the bus for the betterment of all of the other creations. Arda itself was a world sustained by magic alone and Harry's pre-emptive dread senses screamed in alarm. At the same time Harry only had Melkor's disenfranchised opinion of how the world came to be with Arda as his sole reference point as a location if he was to return to his own realm. If he was to return to Earth he needed to find some way of mapping the Void and resources to travel it without being eaten by any of the silent horrors no doubt blocking the way back. _Bugger, I'm going to have to visit the bloody place_. At long last, Harry broke the silence.

"So what's the plan then? Go back and remove the place from existence?"

"Yes." _Well, that's not at all foreboding_. Once more, Melkor leaned forwards in his seat. "What is your plan?"

"Ideally? To get the hell out of here and head back home, but I can't do that without resources meaning I'll have to visit Arda for a supply run first. Would you be willing to lend a hand?" Harry was appraised over clasped hands by a set of calculating eyes.

"What purpose would it serve when all of my actions would only work to benefit Eru's ultimate goals? To return would simply initiate the next phase of his scheme and summon a detachment of his finest followers. I may as well wait." Harry felt his lips stretch and he beamed at the imprisoned overlord.

"Not to worry, I'm pretty sure that I anything I do couldn't possibly be part of the plan. He might be able to anticipate how you react, but he sure as hell can't do anything about me." Harry could have cheered at the dawning realisation crossing Melkor's face. "Think of it this way, if you help me out you get to screw him over by throwing something into the mix that he couldn't possible deal with. I'm not even remotely related to any of his creations so he can't play the just as planned card on me and I'm not about to hand over my free will to robots." Harry stood and strode to the foot of the dais where a decent length of chain remained entwined by his feet. "So, what do you say?"

"For me to be of any help I must be freed from these chains." He shook his great armoured shoulders and his shackles made a gentle chiming noise and shimmered in the light. "My very spirit is forced to remain here by it since my physical form in Arda was hewn from me upon my banishment." Harry blinked.

"So you're just a spirit? You look awfully solid for a spirt. The ones where I come from don't look half as real as you do, more mist and vapour than anything else." Between the armour, cloak and general appearance of incredibly irate but very alive looking giant human being, Harry thought Melkor looked fairly good for a bodiless wraith.

"Arda is split between the visible world and the Unseen world where the older beings exist in the reality of their forms. Upon arrival in Arda I will fade to the Unseen world where I will be vulnerable to the strongest of Eru's agents but unable to defend myself. Before we reach Arda we first must circumvent the Door of the Night, the entrance to Arda through the Wall of the World, and the guard who watches the Door for my coming." Harry shrugged.

"Right. I can handle a guard or twenty, that's nothing new. I'm more concerned about there being an invisible wall that holds the atmosphere in, I mean, does he want it to explode in a burst of unstable magic? That's just mental." Harry shook his head in dismay. "Reminds me of the time I removed the binding ward on Malfoy Manor and the entire place exploded when the ward matrices on the foundations converged and literally blew it into orbit from the feedback loop. Turns out grandpa Malfoy couldn't be arsed paying anyone to build the bloody thing properly and just used Permanent Sticking Charms. Bloody idiot." Warm laughter rumbled through Harry's ears.

"Your world is certainly more vibrant than the one below."

"Too right. So the chain is a spiritual thing, I should be able to deal with that provided you don't mind being a tad toasty." Harry indeed had an idea as to what would sap the power of chains made by the resident demigods and was under no illusions as to the illegality of the act if it were to be conducted in his usual haunts. _Eh, who cares? _ "What's the deal with the door and the guards?"

"The Sun is a vessel containing the last fruit of the Gold Tree and is the mystical light source which you so eagerly sought earlier. The Moon is the last flower of the Silver Tree and likewise provides light to the people of Arda. To simulate day and night the Sun is steered the Gates of Morning in the East, provides sunlight then departs through the Door of Night in the West as the Moon takes its place in the sky. The vessels are steered by Maiar, lesser spirits in service of the Valar, who are responsible for ensuring the continued cycle of day and night. Admittedly, the solution is not as elegant as the natural one in your world_." He's more proud of Earth than I am_, Harry thought wryly. "The guard is but a lone elf who awaits the destruction of the Door of Night which in turn would herald my coming." He sighed in his bonds and Harry once more found himself at a loss.

"They use fruit and flowers as the sun and moon? Said fruit provide enough light and heat to sustain life? Man this place is gonna go to hell quickly the moment the magic wears off." Harry blinked again and his companion pointedly stared at him. "Riiiiiight, another day then." He shifted in contemplation and after a moment the idea came to him with remarkable clarity.

_And stupidity_, a small voice whispered in the back of his mind.

_Quiet you, I'm working here! "_Who said we had to kick in the front door? That'd just tip them off that you're back. If the vessel of the Sun is really that bright we can sneak in as it leaves through the Walls. With a few Concealment spells, some Shields and some logic breaking wards that'd make Hermione cry for managing the heat I'm pretty sure that elf wouldn't see us if we hugged the ship's underside on the way in. I don't know anyone stupid enough to stare directly into the sun so we should avoid his sight. I think the most trouble I'd have is looping reinforcing wards to effectively survive re-entry into the atmosphere from space." Harry hummed to himself as a handy set of plans presented themselves to the forefront of his mind. "But first, we need to get rid of the chains, is anyone going to notice if they snap?"

"Unlikely, the guard specifically watches the Door for activity. The chains themselves are not attended to in any capacity of which I'm aware." Harry grinned toothily.

"How comfortable are you with extreme heat and mortal peril?"

"More than I should be," Melkor replied warily.

"I know a spell that can burn through just about anything. So long as you're willing I'm fairly sure I can just melt through the chain with it provided you hold still." _And pray that I haven't lost my touch or sanity. _

"It's either that or rotting here for eternity while I await Eru's tender mercies. I prefer the former. You may proceed."

"Alright, brace yourself," said Harry as he held his wand aloft and Melkor's expression of hunger reigned supreme.

Harry stepped into the depths of his mind and the dark, slimy corridors of Hogwart's dungeons spread out before him. Pace by pace the landscape shifted around him as he climbed upwards through the ancient castle. The Great Hall was the same as ever, but students from various Houses phased through him uninterrupted in a continuous stream of indistinguishable sounds and their features blurred in a dizzying amalgam of colour. Before long he stood in a familiar but long abandoned bathroom. Cascades of water danced from every tap and water rushed for the door around Harry's unfeeling ankles as he waded through the water. Mirrors with spider web cracks lined the walls and hung over each basin, dusty and water stained. His feet came to a rest in front of one untarnished sink where its mirror remained maintained and unblemished and untouched by the surrounding decay. It glinted coldly in the surrounding gloom and Harry shivered in his presence. Reluctantly, Harry stared into the mirror's depths and his reflection stared back blankly before it smiled cruelly. A tidal wave of water erupted from the wall and Harry inhaled the raging torrent, his vision turning red. Cold fury spread throughout his being and chilled his core as a radial frost blasted from Harry across the pools. For a moment time stood still as Harry panted and lifted his wand, then both ice and room shattered.

A blast of white hot flames erupted from the tip of Harry's wand and twisted with a serpentine writhe through the air as it ballooned into shape. Roaring in Harry's ears, the flames howled and screamed their approval. Corkscrewing upwards it unveiled burning wings attached to a voluminous and spiked figure that snarled and snapped as its great jaws and thrashed with its spiked tail. Hot claws swiped through the air as the monstrous Horntail took form. Bit by bit it swirled, scales becoming distinguishable as the world around it dissolved in a heat haze. The conflagration soared upwards and hung suspended over both wizard and Valar, Melkor rapted with attention and Harry masked by a cloak of his own billowing white flames that melted the stone on which he stood. It plunged downwards into the vulnerable chain and a fiery tornado drilled downwards into an unfortunate link. The metal warped and the smirk never left Harry's face as he spurred his creation on as metal flaked, peeled and finally evaporated as a mouth filled with sharpened superheated swords closed upon it. With a final chomp the chain shattered and the dragon emerged victorious and restless. With a flick of Harry's wand, the contempt left his face and the heat was gone. The only evidence the deformed stone beneath his feet and twisted metal.

Drained from the adrenaline rush and the sudden emotional void from the spell's cancellation, Harry sighed, left with a faint feeling of optimism. A cool sense of satisfaction secreted itself back within the depths of Harry's mind and fairly purred with contentment. Beside Harry, with no small amount of effort, Melkor with a great heave stood for the first time in an Age and laughed.


	3. Re-Entry

**Chapter 3 - Re-Entry**

Melkor rolled his iron shoulders and his thorny collar hit the ground with a thunderous CLANG. Ringing clearly, it bounced once –CRUNCH-and disappeared below a gargantuan heel. Harry's head pulsed with each bounce and gave a painful lurch in the silence following. Swaying past the spirit, Harry flopped himself back into his armchair and sank his shivering form into the depths of the cushion. Blinking slowly, with Melkor's dull form blurring from his eyes, his eyes drooped and in a surge of warm air he was gone.

Every part of him ached. From the tips of his still booted toes to the crown of his ache, every muscle protested at every twitch. Harry groaned. _Bloody Fiendfyre_. His legs were cramped and his internal critic gave off a distinct air of smugness at Harry's suffering, the silent _I told you so_ echoing through his mind. All things considered, Harry thought himself to be fairly lucky. The now free spirit could have easily topped him while he slept, or worse, attempted a possession which no doubt would have ended badly for all involved parties. _The problem with prison escapes_, George had once said, _is that the bloke you're freeing is just as likely to top you as he is the guy you want him to top_. Having restricted his prison breaks to people not convicted of mass murder but able to provide other skills, only now could Harry see the full wisdom in the words. Busting out the local eldritch abomination came with some fairly obvious issues. George's knowledge of strategic prison breaks was something Harry attributed to war experiences to which George grinned evilly in response.

_He cannot be trusted_, the little voice murmured.

_Neither can you_, Harry snorted derisively, _where's your advice ever gotten me? Ah, yeah, it got me arrested once. _A mental punt quieted the voice and Harry opened his eyes a wall of heat.

Thankfully dim, the landscape remained mostly unchanged apart a conspicuously absent giant and dull flames cheerfully circling Harry's chair. Blue flames gently lapped at his hands without burning and rose in welcome when Harry reluctantly straightened his spine. The flames were definitely magical in nature but unlike the searing white heat of Fiendfyre they seem to exhibit a dull sort of malevolence that lapped up and redistributed the heat in the room_. Flame Freezing charm, clearly since the crest isn't hot, but it looks like Hermione's Bluebell Flames, only more likely to burn your face off._ Magic radiated from the fire and Harry had little doubt as to how quickly their temperament could change at the will of their owner.

"Hey old man, I'm guessing this is yours?"

"Indeed, I required a stretch after my period of confinement. Given the nature of your magic I felt it appropriate to react with a like element." Thunderous steps signalled Melkor's approach. Vision vibrating, Harry watched him stride into view with a small amount of apprehension. "My specialties were always considered more varied than those of my siblings. They settled for understanding one element whereas I desired to understand all of them to better my skills in creation."

"Generalist, eh? Can't say there were too many of those back home either." Before Harry's eyes the flames receded and Melkor bright eyes gazed at him with an unobstructed view. "It's always good to know how people might try to violently murder you. Worked that out after the first wave of raving lunatics with odd spell tastes." The giant's mouth parted slightly and Harry saw the breastplate tremble. "At least one of us finds people constantly trying to kill me entertaining," Harry commented dryly.

"What of your fire that burnt through the chain?" Melkor ascended and seated himself once more upon his now decidedly more magnificent silver throne.

"Ah yeah, Fiendfyre, it can burn through just about anything. Despite the name the stuff isn't really fire. It might give off a fair amount of heat and light but its real destructive properties come from its energy leeching aura. The fire is really just there to make it look pretty and visible so some poor bloke doesn't incinerate himself. Academics back home used to think it was just magic leeching, but Hermione had a run with a toaster that proved otherwise. Nasty stuff really." It had always been something of an oddity to Harry that Basilisk venom and Fiendfyre had been on the shortlist for Horcrux destruction. The fire and venom seemed to be relatively unrelated by way of magical properties. Upon close inspection their placement as the two most foremost items of Horcrux destruction made a great deal of sense. Both venom and cursed flames consumed some sort of energy, providing for a comparatively superficial effect and their seemingly endless propagation. It was absolutely no wonder to anyone with a lick of sense as to why both were rare and entirely illegal with the only counter effectively being starvation. Matter also being energy made the issue of stopping Fiendfyre exist in the realm of impossibility unless someone could Vanish them through sheer brute force. Seeing as the flames had a tendency to eat Vanishing spells, it wasn't something Harry found particularly pleasant.

A steady mantra of _practice practice practice_ had been hammered into Harry's head by a grim Hermione and a deeply uneasy Ron. The toaster was one many casualties during the sessions along Ron's frayed nerves when a set of drapes fell victim to an overpowered casting courtesy of Harry. In hindsight, it made Voldemort's casual use of the spell in an enclosed lobby all the more disturbing and just as disturbing was Dumbledore's lackadaisical Vanishing of the spell. Even so long after their time Harry was well aware of how few people in the world could hold a candle to either Voldemort or Dumbledore. Highly unpleasant personalities aside, both were incredibly gifted even if it came at the cost of basic social skills and sanity. Something squirmed unpleasantly in Harry's chest when he considered the possibility of him ending up in that category. Being a colossal prat seemed to be part and parcel when it came to powerful spells.

Harry returned to the present to find Melkor's head resting upon clasped hands. "How do you plan for us to survive entry through the Door?" Melkor queried.

"Magic, obviously," Harry stated bluntly, shaking open his wide robe sleeve and allowing a thick black covered tome to fall into his hand. "Fun note, I'm the only wizard you'll ever see use one of these." Harry placed the battered tome carefully on thin air in front of him. Hanging suspended, pages ruffled open spraying the air with elaborate arrays of glowing runes and Arithmancy formulae. "To be honest, the glowing stuff is just to keep people from looking too closely into how it works. The real power is in the enchantments deeper down." Harry gently flicked a page over to reveal an illustration of a spidery looking tree. "The book is mainly an anchor point for some of the more temperamental and focus hungry spells. I cast, the book continues the spells so I can have simultaneous casting without dropping from a migraine." Harry would attach specific spells to the book based on a series of conditional triggers and it would set off spells as required. It was a technique above most wizards. The idea of a simple magical object performing sophisticated functions only seasoned groups of warlocks should have been able to perform was something many found repugnant. Having depended on all manner of enchanted objects over the years, Harry wasn't about to care about public opinion. The brainchild of Harry, Ron and Hermione, the book was loaded with enough collective raw magic to level Hogwarts Castle and then some. _Just in case_, they both said.

Harry patted the tome fondly and bounced ecstatically at his touch. A mild pang ran through Harry even as the book insistently nudged at his hand. Melkor swept from his throne like a wraith and came to rest on one knee before Harry. Eyes fixated on the trembling book, he turned to Harry.

"May I?"

"Sure," Harry smirked and Melkor clasped a giant gauntlet around the book's floating form. It rose upwards, gleaming lights shimmering off dull armour and pale skin.

"It has a soul," he murmured and ran a huge finger down the tome's spine where it quivered. "How?"

"The spells do it. Each spell has intent and as you load them into the book they mix. If you leave spells on something for long enough they grow a mind of their own without you having to stick a soul in it. Ron's dad had a sentient car that went native in a forest. My godfather also had a house full of things trying to kill you for not being a member of the blood family. It just happens with enough time." Harry could see an odd glint in Melkor's eyes as they seemingly burnt brighter. The glowing gaze shifted from book to book owner and hands deposited the tome back into place.

"Thank you." _Well, that's not at all loaded._

"You're welcome. Now, as for how we're leaving… I'm going to tag the book with some protective Charms and some Transfiguration. Shield Charms for blocking heat. Charms for recycling heat energy back into the shield. I can easily cancel the spell so we won't be trapped. Disillusionment Charm to hide us from the guard and maybe some muffling spells as well." Harry spoke and spells spilled from his wand only to be captured in the web of the tome's spellwork and eagerly devoured. The armoured knight remained kneeling beside Harry as he worked in redundancy after redundancy and safety spells through his wards. _No kill like overkill. _Finally his wand came to a rest and Melkor's statuesque figure twitched. "Right, now to deal with you."

"How so?"

"You're an armoured giant with a tendency towards mass spite, ruining lives and whose mere presence incites huge amounts of mass hysteria," Harry deadpanned. "What could possibly go wrong." _Smug bastard actually looks pleased._

"Point taken."

"So here's what we're going to do." Harry swished his wand and a shining black crow cawed as it hurtled out from the end. It wheeled twice around Melkor's head before it came to a delicate rest on Harry's shoulder. "If you're a spirit then you should be able to possess this shell. It looks lifelike enough but it's just a puppet. It'll let us move around without being mobbed." Melkor's form immediately rippled, distorted and exploded into swirling shadows lit by glowing two pinpricks. It condensed into an almost solid stream and poured into the oblivious bird's open beak. Harry cringed and mental tendrils extending to the construct twanged away. _Merlin that's creepy._ The bird's new tenant shifted from foot to foot in even, level steps. Coming to a rest, it spoke.

"This will do."

"Yeah, trust the voice box to be the first thing you work out. Now I can pass you off as a smartarse familiar instead of a disembodied spirit." Harry sputtered and found himself with a mouth full of feathers and something warm rested against his head. The spirit in bird form had sandwiched itself into the side of Harry's head, looking thoroughly comfortable. _Oh for Merlin's sake._

"You may proceed."

"Since when have I needed your approval to do anything?" The tome was slid back up Harry's sleeve. "You're going to have to shove in there too when we leave. You'll have plenty of air, but first we have to wait for the sun to roll back around before we do anything. Thankfully, due to your old prison location, we've got a lifeline back to the door. All we have to do is follow it through and hope nobody sees us speeding in the front door." Harry stood and kicked his chair around to face the world below before settling himself in for the wait. The bird abruptly started.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"How exactly do you intend to reach the Door with no wings?"

Harry only smirked.


End file.
